METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CUTTING DIRECTLY METAL STENT WITH LASER

摘要

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain an expandable stent for implantation in a body lumen such as an artery, and a method for making the stent from a single length of tubing. SOLUTION: A stent 10 comprises a plurality of expandable cut cylindrical elements substantially aligned on a common axis. The cylindrical elements 12 have a rectangular cross-section and are interconnected via one or more connection elements 13. The individual radially expandable cylindrical elements are arranged into an undulating pattern. The stent is manufactured by direct laser cutting from a single metal tube using a finely focused laser beam passing through a coaxial gas jet structure to impinge on the working surface of the tube as the linear and rotary velocity of the tube is precisely controlled.